Superman Rebirth!

[The Dark Knight]

Jokedy Joke Joke...I have been reading the main Superman line as per your recommendation.

And you're right. This is the best Superman has been in the comics for years.

Why? Because it connects with the character's soul in a big way. Superman being a family man just WORKS. He gets to have a loving, close relationship with Lois. And he gets to be an understanding, friendly mentor to his son. The family dynamic gives the whole comic series a warm, feel good vibe and I really enjoy reading it. It's FUN.

Superman Rebirth is the best comic out there right now. Even better than Batman.

[The Joker]

Glad to hear you're reading the books, TDK, and happy to hear you are thoroughly enjoying them as well. I wholeheartedly agree with your statements that the Superman Rebirth titles are nothing short of outstanding right now! For so many years of having a Superman line that seemed incredibly unfocused, creating publicity stunts, or simply going thru the motions, the Rebirth books in the Superman line have finally brought us a Superman that feels complete.

Like you, I'm a Batman guy as well, but you're absolutely right that Superman is currently besting Batman. Hell, I would even say Wonder Woman is better than Batman right now, but then again I am a Wonder Woman guy as well and writer Greg Rucka has done a wonderful job with that title. 

[The Dark Knight]

Indeedy do. After the great Morrison and Scott Snyder arcs, Batman Rebirth just doesn't reach those heights. It mostly feels cold and sterile to me - the opposite of what the Superman line is currently presenting.

I can see them running with the father/son/wife plotline for a long time. I think Superman being an inspirational figure to his young son is partly why this works. The son becomes the reader, in some respects. We experience his wonder and awe, but also learn from the big guy all about responsibility. What it means to have power, and what we should do with it. I like Earth One, but like this more.

Superman: American Alien is also a book people should check out if they haven't already. It's the origin story all over again, but it charts Clark's growth in a different way. It's really good. And once again...it's FUN. A real page turner.

[The Joker]

If you're currently reading the Superman comics DC has been publishing since the Rebirth initiative, and haven't read the latest issue of Action Comics #976, then turn back NOW!!! As this post will most definitely contain SPOILERS!!!!
























Ready?



















Ok. Well as the story goes, and as Leonard Cohen would say, everybody knows, DC Comics now have a completely 'whole' Superman flying around Metropolis now.



Cutting to the chase, during the SUPERMAN REBORN storyline, there was a mysterious Clark Kent walking around independent of Superman and his family, and it turns out to be none other than everyone's favorite 5th dimensional imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and he's decided that some erasure is in order. Mainly for Superman & Lois.



However, while Jon/Superboy is alone in Mr Mxyzptlk's interdimensional limbo, he runs into none other than the poster child for the entire New52, collar and all, New52 Superman (along with New52 Lois).



Unfortunately for Jon, they are NOT his parents, and initially believe that the kid has them mistaken for some other people, or that the kid just can't see straight.




Luckily for Jon, he comes across two glowing blue orbs that are what remains of his parents, and with some Super-Fatherly advice, in addition to New52 Supes/Lois open enough to go along with the program, the two Supermen merge. Creating one Superman.





Essentially, it's revealed that neither Supermen were really the 'true' Superman of the current DCU. Only two halves of the complete version. ala Superman Red/Blue. As a consequence of this merge, both histories have been integrated as one.  Melding both realities into single characters who remember the events of both the Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint DC universe and the events lived by the New 52 rebooted counterparts.



The good news for Jon, is that he does get his parents back.




And Superman is reborn.



Essentially, the fabric of reality itself has been re-written with this merge. The DC universe is no longer the New 52 one, even though alot of Pre-Flashpoint history has been re-asserting itself, it's a done deal now. New52 Universe is over. Now? It's a hybrid of the Post-Crisis, Pre-Flashpoint universes, with possibly alot of Pre-Crisis thrown in as well. If the book Trinity proves correct with Superman's memories. Which may actually happen since Post-Infinite Crisis back in 2005, alot of Pre-Crisis history was suddenly back.

And you can bet, that with this event of the Kent's rewriting the history of the DCU, there's probably a big blue Doctor out there watching, and may not approve of such an action....

 

[The Joker]

Looks like SECRET ORIGIN is, for the most part, back in Superman's past.

A look how the DCU has changed since the merger.

[The Dark Knight]

Jokedy Joke Joke...I have been reading the main Superman line as per your recommendation.

And you're right. This is the best Superman has been in the comics for years.

Why? Because it connects with the character's soul in a big way. Superman being a family man just WORKS. He gets to have a loving, close relationship with Lois. And he gets to be an understanding, friendly mentor to his son. The family dynamic gives the whole comic series a warm, feel good vibe and I really enjoy reading it. It's FUN.

Superman Rebirth is the best comic out there right now. Even better than Batman.

The young child and father dynamic was fine while Jon was young because it provided a charming ambience. But look where it led: Jon Kent aged up and centre stage as the new Superman. Superman shouldn't be a mantle. There is only one, as the Death and Return arc makes clear. If it's not Kal-El I'm not interested. Time and time again Superman is sidelined or hijacked in some way. The Jar Jar Abrams movie will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

[thecolorsblend]

The young child and father dynamic was fine while Jon was young because it provided a charming ambience. But look where it led: Jon Kent aged up and centre stage as the new Superman. Superman shouldn't be a mantle. There is only one, as the Death and Return arc makes clear. If it's not Kal-El I'm not interested. Time and time again Superman is sidelined or hijacked in some way. The Jar Jar Abrams movie will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

I must agree. I see Superman as a conceptual merging of the best of mankind and the best of Krypton. Kal-El is one extreme and Clark is on the other. Superman, then, is the spaces between them that reflect the best of both worlds.

And that's not something that can just get passed like a baton to the next guy.

I could sooner see Batman being a mantle that could get passed on. Because in a sense, Batman is a tactic. But Superman is an ideal, a point of view that isn't rly fungible. Batman probably isn't fungible either, you understand, I'm just saying I can sooner tolerate Batman as an abstract identity that someone else can possess than I ever could for Superman.

[The Joker]

The young child and father dynamic was fine while Jon was young because it provided a charming ambience. But look where it led: Jon Kent aged up and centre stage as the new Superman. Superman shouldn't be a mantle. There is only one, as the Death and Return arc makes clear. If it's not Kal-El I'm not interested. Time and time again Superman is sidelined or hijacked in some way. The Jar Jar Abrams movie will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Yes, in this day and age where literally every long standing and popular hero has legacy character's using some form of variation of their superhero identity name, it's unfortunate that this is what happened to Jon. As someone who's been out of the loop for some time now in current comics due to numerous reasons, it sure seems like the majority of readers much preferred the young version of Superman's son that was introduced in the 2016 "Lois and Clark" mini, and further expanded upon with "Super Sons". The kid was charming, and I liked the way he was introduced. Even growing up with Kon-El as Superboy, I was fully prepared to embrace Jon as the new Superboy for years to come. Course what followed was a straight up cluster. I haven't heard much good that came out of the ill conceived "Bendis is coming!" era (thought about reading it, but no. Not going to waste money collecting that, nor any interest in reading that either), which evidently did away with much of the good will Dan Jurgens and company had brought forth during the start of the Rebirth era, and DC Comics doubling down on their vision by having Jon become Superman is just indicative of this mentality of pulling any sort of stunt to get a purchase these days.

[The Dark Knight]

Somebody can be inspired by the spirit of another but they cannot be them. It's going to be different. It's like the concept of cloning. You could create a perfect aesthetic replica of a long dead individual. They could have the same height, face and voice. But it's still somebody else. They don't have the same memories or life experiences. We are are all product of our environment and time period.

Legacy is part of Batman's very being because he's a mortal. He's going to die and that must be prepared for with a replacement soldier. That's why he mentors Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and others. His death or permanent retirement is just something I don't want to see play out. Keep it in the far future. I want Bruce alive in the suit doing his thing. While he's alive nobody else is going to compare to the real deal. He's the King. They can only evoke his spirit.

At the core Batman is a terrible thought. A boogeyman. ZSJL puts it well: "I heard about you. Didn't think you were real." And that's coming from Cyborg, who has the intellect and resources of a computer. Batman has the reputation of a supernatural being which gives a line of succession akin to The Phantom more credibility as a concept in comparison to Superman who doesn't wear a mask and appears frequently during the day.

[The Dark Knight]

"The new Superman, the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, is concerned about the environment, does not shy away from politics and will soon begin a romantic relationship with a male friend."

Yes, this is real.